turn to senokot-s tablets. senokot-s has a natural vegetable laxative ingredient plus the comfort of a stool softener for gentle, overnight relief of occasional constipation. go to senokot-s.com for savings. we're out of time. see you back here tomorrow. cnn "newsroom" request don lemon starts now. >> hate to end that conversation about cheating but we have to move on, soledad. deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. what did the white house know and when? today, outraged lawmakers demand some aanswers. back on the extreme court

docket this morning, affirmative action. should race play a role in college admissions? dash of controversy, actress stacey dash talks about her tweet that set off an internet firestorm. new face on ttgma. good morning america. why the candidates' wives are becoming more important in their husband's campaigns. cnn "newsroom" begins right now. good morning, everyone. thank you so much for joining us. i'm don lemon. carol is off today. high stakes and a high noon showdown on capitol hill as we look at live pictures of the capital. potentially heated hearing on the deadly attack of the u.s. consulate in libya. republic republican-led hearing is demanding to know how security failures led to the deaths of the u.s. ambassador there and three other americans. were warnings ignored for

political reasons? did the white house have any motive in first denying it was terrorism? depending on which party you ask, today's hearing is either election year grandstanding or an effort to better protect american lives in the future. liste listen. >> is that it's because they wanted the appearance of normalization. that's what they wanted. that fit the obama narrative moving forward. >> you know it's one thing to make make allegations that are back bid facts. it's another thing to make allegations and then search for the facts. we've heard a lot of allegations flying around. just today in depositions we've heard things that are contradictory to some of the allegations that already have been made by chairman issa and congressman chaffetz. >> straight to the state department and cnn foreign affairs reporter elise labott.

is there a sense that heads will roll when these facts come out because there seems to be a drip, drip, drip of information of what the administration first said. >> this is very politicized in this election season. first of all, the idea of whether it was preplanned or a spontaneous kind of protest that was hijacked by extremists as some administration officials were claiming. yesterday we had a conference call with senior officials from the state department that says no, this was not our conclusion. everything was quiet, in front of this diplomatic post just an hour maybe before the deadly attack where 40 armed gunman stormed the embassy. whether the administration had a political motive or whether the administration said this was our best intelligence at the time, i think that's a little bit politicized. the questions really that i think the committee wants to get at is was the consulate, was this diplomatic post adequately

protected? some documents have been leaking out, some obtained by cnn over the last week or so that indicate security officials in the country had asked the state department for additional security to keep another security team that was already in country there and those requests whether either denied or not answered. one of the people that will be hearing from today is deputy assistant secretary charlene lam. it seems a lot of those requests went directly to her. what i've been told by senior officials is that that never went up the chain of command, if you will. i think they're going to nail down were these requests heeded? and whether the state department, whether the administration as a whole really saw the threat as it turned out to be, don. >> we'll find out today. thank you very much. at least they're going to start the process today. thank you very much, elise labott. the man accused of making the anti-islam film that incited so much violence in the middle

east will be in court today. he has been in federal lockup, violating his probation for a bank fraud conviction and the judge ruled he was a flight risk. egyptian-born u.s. citizen does not face charges related to the "innocence of muslim" film and the violence that ensued in the middle east or in africa. getting closer and closer. 27 days until the election. no doubt mitt romney's big performance injected new life into his presidential campaign. can his running mate, congressman paul ryan, dothe same thing in tomorrow night's presidential debate? listen to what mitt romney told wolf blitzer on "the situation room." >> are you confident that paul rin will take on joe biden thursday night the way you took on the president? >> you know, i don't know how paul will deal with this debate. obviously the vice president has done, i don't know, 15 or 20

debates during his lifetime, experienced debater. i think this is paul's first debate -- i may be wrong. he may have done something in high school. i don't know. it will be a new experience for paul. i'm sure he'll do fine. >> paul ryan has actually done several debates during his copyingional career but none were bigger than the stage he will be on tomorrow night. good morning to you john, there in ohio. is it just the campaign trying to lower expectations here? >> reporter: in a word, don, yes. not only has paul ryan done some debates in his professional career, he has stood up to the president, barack obama. he has been a leading advocate. it's true joe biden has more experience on the national stage, but that's governor romney trying to say kt my guy a little slack, this is his first time up in the big leagues, if you will. this will be a fascinating dough bait.

americans pick presidents, not vice presidents, but romney has momentum, bit of a breeze at his back. can paul ryan continue building that momentum or could joe biden be more passionate than the president in the first presidential debate and stop it? >> let's talk about the numbers, john. mitt romney still getting post debate bounce. you can't say any more that debates don't matter. the new cnn poll, poll of polls, mitt romney has a slight lead with likely voters, 48% to 47%. his performance certainly showed that you can't say it doesn't matter anymore. there is no bigger swing state than ohio, where you are. >> reporter: the history tells you no republican has ever been elected president without winning the state of ohio. can you do the math and have romney win without this state? yes. is it likely? no. before the debate some polls had him down as many as nine points

in ohio. new cnn poll row leased last night has him down four, 51-47. another group, american research group show ed romney up a point in ohio. no question. just like in the national polls, a bit of a boost. romney is up in the suburbs, up among independents. there's signs of strength here from romney, we can tell you there are a few soft spots he needs to work on. >> john king in ohio, covering the debates as well. thank you very much. watch live coverage of the debate tomorrow night, 7:00 eastern. watch it on cnn or on cnn.com. happening this morning, the color of a college applicant's skin be a factor in accept ance admission? >> reporter: after applying, she didn't get in. attending louisiana state

university instead. but the rejection from u.t. led fisher to file a lawsuit against the school, claiming she was squeezed out, unfairly denied admission because of her race. she's white. she said in a statement there were people in my class with lower grades who weren't in all the activities i was in, who were being accepted into u.t. and the only other difference between us was the color of our skin. she decline d an interview with cnn. whether race should be part of the application process at the university of texas is the issue that will come before the supreme court on wednesday. edward bloom recruited abigail fisher to file the lawsuit. >> should a university judge a student by his or her skin color when it comes time for admission? and the answer is no. >> reporter: here is how the admissions process at u.t. works. top 10% of each high school class statewide gets in automatically. for those below the top 10%, like abigail fisher, in the 11%, they use what it calls a

holistic review where race is one of many factors considered, one that university president bill power says doesn't get much weight and didn't play a role in fish fisher's rejection. >> we take ethnicity as one of many, many factors in a holistic review to make sure that the three quarters coming in under automatic admission, though we add to that with a quarter coming in where we can look for these other characteristics, including diversity. >> i think she's fighting the wrong fight. >> minority student leaders on campus like bradley pool agree with powers that the process is fair, despite fisher's claims. >> probably one of the least parts of the holistic review process. i think it's harping on the easiest thing that she could have went against. >> others take offense, saying the lawsuit implies that some minority students are less deserving of admission thn their white counterparts. >> to hear of us saying some of us latinos got in here easily

and the only reason we got in here is because of our race, that's disappointing. we worked just as hard as anyone else did to get here to u.t. >> reporter: conservative groups siding with fisher says it's not just about getting in. studies show that using racial preferences can hurt minorities by starting them out near the bottom of their classes. >> if they're toward the bottom of whatever class they go to, they are much more likely to give up on an ambition to major in science and engineering. >> very interesting. there he is, swroe johns outside the supreme court. good morning to you, joe. how do you see this case playing out among the justices? >> reporter: well, don, we're going to find out in just about an hour. it's a vastly different court from nine years ago when sandra day o'connor wrote a majority opinion in a very similar case. of course, she's no longer on the court. there's also a possibility of a 4-4 tie. justice elena kagan is

reaccusing herself due to the fact that she sort of handled some of these circumstances surrounding this case when she was attorney general. >> whatever is decided when it comes to affirmative action -- >> absolutely, this case could change the way students aall over the united states get admitted to college. it could change whether race is use used as just one factor, any factor at all in the admissions process. so that could be a big sea change for people trying to get into school all over the united states, don. >> joe johns is watching that for us today. swroe jo joe johns, thank you very much. if you get social security checks, this news is for you. new report says you can expect a

cost of living bump next year. unfortunately, it will be less than half of what you saw this year. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange this morning. how much of a boost will those checks get next year? what will it be? good morning, by the way. >> good morning to you, don. checks are expected to rise from 1.5% to 1.7% next year, amounting to $18 to $20 a check, coming from the american institute for economic research. official announcement coming out next week from the government. 1.5% to 1.7%, it ain't huge. past few years, let's look at that. benefits increased 3.6% this year because inflation was higher. what's coming next year is better than what happened in 2009 and 2010 when checks didn't go up at all. you want to blame congress but you can't blame congress for this minuscule increase coming

next year. cost of living adjustment is based on the consumer price index. cpi measures inflation, e price you pay for things like food and clothing and fuel. if prices are up over the past year, those social security checks go up. and if prices haven't moved or they fall, social security checks stay the same. i guess to sort of put the slamation point sla exclamation point on this, at least they're going up a bit instead of staying the same. >> alison kosik, thank you very much. more people around the country getting sick and dying from a rare meningitis outbreak. dr. gupta make ace starting discovery while into digging as to how this happened.

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capsule this morning, which arrive arrived with 1,000 pounds of supplies, the first commercial space cargo mission. capsule will spend about 18 day s at the station and return with experiments and equipment that need repaired. toyota announces it is recalling more than 7 million vehicles worldwide, including 2.5 million right here in the u.s. due to a problem with a power window switch that could pose a fire risk. recall effects several models over multiple years. toyota will fix the problem at no cost to customers. with florida reporting its first meningitis fatality, the national death toll now stands at 12. another 120 people nationwide are sick from the rare fungal meningitis. those numbers are on the rise. the source is contaminated steroid injections that may have been given to as many as 13,000 people. chief medical correspondent, of course, dr. sanjay gupta,

traveled to massachusetts to find out how this happened. >> we drove to framingham, massachusetts, the necc, compounding facility at the heart of this outbreak. we just wanted some answers. we're with cnn, trying to get ahold of somebody to talk to about what's going on here. >> unfortunately i have to ask you guys to leave the property. >> reporter: over there is the necc compounding facility. back here, that's a recycling facility, essentially looks like a dump. walking around here, people have told us there has been this relationship between the recycling facility and necc for some time. doing a little bit of dig iging we realize they're, in fact, own bid the same people. >> okay. there sanjay is, live in boston. so, sanjay, the facility produces mass quantities of human drugs, shares a property with, as you showed us, a garbage dump. that doesn't seem sanitary. who made that decision?

>> reporter: i don't know, don. it's amazing. obviously, they didn't want to talk about it, as you could see there. i don't know if you've ever been thrown off a facility there. that was quite interesting. sort of going behind -- this is sort of tucked away. you find that -- they call it a recycling center but it was aa garbage dump. people were driving in, dumping off garbage even while we were there. this wasn't just the waste from the pharmaceutical part of this, but all kinds of different waste. i don't know who oversees this. what i can tell you is that it's not the fda. the fda doesn't oversee this, even though these are medications for human use. it is usually done at the state level. what happens is the organization applies for a license, they get a license and unless there's a problem again, don, they may never get a visit again. so, you can see what sort of happens here. that visual of that -- essentially, as you describe it, garbage dump right behind this compounding center. >> i think this deserves a

visit. these compounding pharmaciys aren't mom and pop shops like they used to be. >> right. >> 2003 government rert found that 10%, i believe, of all drugs administered in the u.s. can come from them. how can it be that the fda doesn't have authority over them until there's a problem? what's their response to all of this? >> they would say they should have responsibility and authority over this. and they've been asking for that for 20 years. it's quite a remarkable thing a lot of people don't know about. these compounding centers are originally set up to be pretty small things. if you needed a slightly different dose of a medication, mix it with another medication or for a kid, for example, who didn't like the taste a medication, they could add some flavoring. those were the initial patterns and things that the compounding centers do. i don't think anyone ever sort of believed that they would turn into these centers that would give out 17,000 different doses of medications all over the country. so now the fda is saying, yeah, we probably do need some

authority over this. >> dr. gupta, thank you. i know yul get to the bottom of it. appreciate your reporting. still ahead here on cnn, sweet, gentle and marked for death. why the taliban tried to kill this 14-year-old school girl. i don't spend money on gasoline. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪

this morning in pakistan, this is the face of courage. a 14-year-old girl will survive a brazen attack from taliban gunman. they opened attack simply because she dared to defy them. in the capital of islamabad. what is the nationwide reaction to such a horrifying attack? >> reporter: don, i think initially the reaction was shock and disbelief. then it switched over to a lot of anxiety and concern about her well-being. i can tell you at this hour, there's a large group of women, many of them mothers in the southern port city of karachi, hold i holding a prayer vigil. we spoke to her doctor and

neurosurgeon and told us after a three-hour surgery they managed to get the bullet out that was lodged in her neck. authorities are also telling us that they've managed to identify the two gunmen who shot her. it's not clear who they are. but they're going to be arrested soon, according to authorities. many in pakistan know malia. if you're outside the region, you don't. best way to understand why she inspired so many people is to sit down and listen to her speak. here is a small excerpt from that interview. >> so i thought i must stand up for my rights, the right for education, the right for speech. >> some people might say you're 14. you don't have any rights. you just have to listen to mom and dad. >> no, i have the right of education, the right to play, the right to sing, the right to talk. i have the right to go to market. i have the right to speak up.

>> reporter: we can objectively report that this is an absolutely adorable young girl and is also fiercely determined in confidence. don, we put a lot of tough questions to her back late last year and she stood up to us. this is a tough girl that many say she represents the best of pakistan. >> thank you very much. we appreciate it. mitt romney is accused of flip flopping during the debate. former president bill clinton goes even further. >> so just show up with a sunny face and say, i didn't say all that stuff i said the last two years. >> next, does mitt romney have a multiple personality? plus, what he told an iowa newspaper that's making some people scratch their heads. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems...

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good morning, everyone. i'm don lemon in for carol costello. opening bell. new york stock exchange rang just about 30 seconds ago. u.s. stocks are poised for a lower open this morning. investors are worried about china's slowing economic growth. they're also keeping an eye on economic data from the census bureau and federal reserve today. we'll watch that for you. former general electric ceo john welch not backing down from his recent comment about the jobs report and economic development. he says that the 7.8% number was m manipulated. he said that the criticism of his comments is something he would expect in soviet russia or communist china. congress iional hearing begs in about 2 1/2 hours. the subject, the attack that killed ambassador chris stevens and three other americans. the state department top security official in libya had

asked for more security in benghazi, but received no respon response. abortion rights have always been a hot button issue in political campaigns. and this one is no exception. in an interview with the des moines registronsteregister, ro there's no legislation with rega regards to abortion that i'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda. that statement doesn't really gel with some of the things he said before. >> my view of the right course for it, for those who are pro life is to fight to change hearts and minds and see roe v. wade overturned allowing state represe representatives of the people make their own decisions with regards to abortion. >> obamacare. i'm getting rid of that. all right? and i will -- and the idea of the federal government funding planned parenthood, i'm going to

say no. we're going to stop that. >> the romney campaign issued a statement yesterday to clarify, saying the candidate is proudly pro life and still would support cutting federal funds from planned parenthood. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> ron, is mitt romney trying to ve more to the center? what does his statement mean? >> first of all, mitt romney is going to be a pro life president and his campaign is saying he will have a pro life agenda. in that same interview with the des moines register, he said he would reinstitute the mexico city policy, which would end federal funding for abortions overseas in other countries. right now he's talking about what voters care about, which is jobs, the economy, rising deficits. >> i understand. hang on. hang on. hang on. ron, we're not going to do talking points here. i'm asking you a very simple

question. >> i'm not doing talking points. >> i didn't ask you about the economy. we can get to that. what did he mean in his statement that seems to be contradictory statements? >> i just told you what he meant. he said that his agenda is not going to be focused on abortion. it's going to be -- he did not say it was going to be focused on other issues, but obviously it's going to be. that's why he talked about the economy, what voters care about in these 27 days. >> romney was criticized for changing views on key issues and former president clinton had something to say about it. take a listen. >> i had a different reaction to that first debate than a lot of people did. i thought, wow! here is old moderate mitt. where have you been, boy? i missed you all these last few years. just show up with a sunny face and say, i didn't say all that

stuff i said the last two years. i don't have that tax plan i had for the last two years. are you going to believe me or your lying eyes here? come on! what are you doing? and if i had been the president i might have said i hate to get in the way of this. i miss you. >> boy, bill clinton there, like no other. so, listen, this has been a talking point from the left since the debate that mitt romney lied. >> yeah. >> but does bill clinton have a point here? >> well, he has a point when he looks up and he says the voice that we've been hearing the last week hasn't been reflective of the voice of the last to years. when you look at his comments yesterday about choice and abortion, it's one of those tricky questions that you've got to make sure you ask the right follow-up question or you might not get the real answer. so it's almost fibbing by omission, if you will. there's no legislation today

that i would get behind and engage in versus, what if somebody else wrote a bill you did get behind? or what if you told your staff to go draft legislation that you got behind? you have to look at the record of what they said and what they've done. in that case mitt romney has said i'm going to nominate people to the supreme court who support overturning roe versus wade. i take ron and his colleagues in the republican party at face value when they say this is an anti-choice president and kind of try to slip that you that needle will not do anything to change that. >> you made a good point. the ownness, oh, the media should have called romney out on his lies. on the debate stage the ownness was on the president to do that. bill clinton said i would have said oh, welcome, where have you been? i missed you. that's the kind of follow-up that people were looking for. it didn't happen. >> look, i'm not sure somebody that's been through a lot of debates aat staff level i'm not sure that a whole lot of smart

alek gets you anywhere. those are the kind of moments that make you feel better but don't necessarily advance your own argument. the president has his own argument and vision for the country that he needs to advance. is it the right place for anybody to question him? do we always want to see somebody who is not laying out the truth be challenged? we absolutely do. we're talking about one day and 90 minutes. i expect you will see more assertion and aggression in the coming days as you have already from the campaign. they've moved very quickly to respond to those elements. the president has his own message to drive forward, not just to police mitt romney's. there are people like you, don lemon, who also engage in the role of policing what both candidates say. >> and what people say on television. >> that's right. >> make sure they don't fall back on talking points. >> that's right. >> ron, you also brought up a very good point, this election is about the economy. >> right. >> understood. could this hurt romney, though, in the sense that it moves him away from his pro-life base?

>> as long as his campaign is saying he's going to be a pro-life president and, of course, he will appoint pro-life supreme court justices to the bench, the pro-life base will be okay with that. i think voters want to hear about the concerns of what's going on in the country right now with the economy, risings debt and deficits. i think that's what the campaign is focused on. and, you know, polls say far and aaway that that's what they want to hear, what the candidates plans r that's why mitt romney is focused on that and not turning this into a whole pro-life, pro-choice debate. >> does this stand the chance of moving him away from his base? >> nochlt i answered the question, the pro-life base is not going to be bothered by this they know he's going to be a pro-life president. they know he's going to appoint pro-life supreme court justices to the bench and he's going to reinstate the mexico city policy. >> thank you very much. >> thanks so much, don.

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so hollywood has long been known for its liberal leanings. president obama held a fund-raiser sunday, k aaaty

perry, george clooney all showing up in support. actress stacey dash, remember her, from "the clueless" movie. you're up. >> no, miss stoger, i have a note from my tennis instructor and he would prefer it if i wasn't exposed to any instruction that would derail his teachings. >> this is more than just siding with the other team. i think it's more about she's african-american and she may not be in support of barack obama. that's causing a furor. >> her detractors simply can't believe the candidate she is behind. dash got on to twitter and announced who she is supporting for president. simply vote for romney. the only choice for your future. well, samuel l. jackson was among those who responded. sam tweeted, wait, did stacey dash really endorse romney

today? really? is she cra... one person twooeted simply still clueless. others have gone over the line saying she sold out her race. obviously, that's reprehensable. >> any criticism from an african-american, person of color about barack obama will get you a torrent of hateful messages on twitter and social media. it's ridiculous. this is america sheechlt can support who she wants. i didn't get do see it last night. i went to sleep for this show. she was on piers morgan last night, wasn't she? >> yeah. pretty simply what her reason is for backing romney. let's watch that. >> it is my right aas an american citizen, my constitutional right to have my choice, who i want to vote for, for president. >> and you should be allowed to have it. >> i chose him not by the color

of his skin but the content of his character. >> and the actress has gotten a lot of proromney supporters supporting her. do you remember sandra fluke, the georgetown law student targeted by some conservative pundits? she, of course, is a well-known obama supporter. while she obviously disagrees with dash's choice for president, she is standing up for dash's right to speak freely about her choice, which we all should do, quite frankly. paul ryan even took a little break from his debate prep to call dash and thank her for her support as well. >> this is america and you have a right to your opinion and don't have to be beat up for it. taking a break from campaigning for her husband to co-host god morning america. humans were made to make

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a court upheld a two-year prison sentence for two members of a russian punk band. third member of the group is being released with a suspended sentence. three women who were arrested in february for performing a song that criticized president

vladimir puttin. robert lefkowitz and brian kobilka won the nobel prize in chemistry. they started their research back in 1968. head of a large resort company tells his 7,000 employees their jobs are at risk if president obama is reelected. westgate resort david siegel sent a message in the e-mail which does not mention mitt romney. he said if he or his company has to pay any new taxes, he will have to cut jobs and benefits at his company. north carolina man says he is blessed to be alive, following this hit and run accident. it happened while sean lewis was on his way to work and while he doesn't remember being hit, he does remember what happened next. >> i remember waking up. i was bleeding. my hand was all messed up.

my leg was messed up. could have helped me out some way. didn't have to leave. i know god had my back. that's all i know. god was looking out for me. >> well, somebody was. lewis, who amazingly walked away, is now temporarily out of work. no arrests have been made in the case. we know her as a political wife and mom. today, ann range of motiomney c another title to her resume, morning show co-host. we'll review her appearance on "good morning america" coming up.

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let's talk more politics now. she traded the campaign trail for the bright lights of morning tv at least for just a few hours. i'm talking about ann romney who made her debut as a cohost on "good morning america." joining me now is myra gooden, professor of communications, and she's also the author of "the president's partner: the first lady in the 20th century." so myra, this isn't the first

time that the wife of a president or presidential candidate has appeared on a morning show. laura bush did it four years ago with her daughter, jenna. and then one of her daughters ended up working for a morning show. what is the appeal of this particular format? >> well, i think that it gives the first lady or the first lady aspirant an opportunity to be seen in a different way, and it's an opportunity for her to talk about her passions, as ann romney did this morning, and perhaps give us the chance to see her away from the campaign trail in a more human setting. >> mm-hmm. you know, she cooked -- ann romney did -- an old family recipe, also talked about her passion for horses. >> that's right. >> how do you think she did as a host? >> well, i think she did just fine. i wish that she had been on camera a little more. they really used her very sparingly.

i was hoping perhaps that they would take a little time to sit down and have an interview with her. >> i'm wondering, though, if that's because of some of the criticism that it's not appropriate for her to be sitting there in that format rather than being interviewed. do you think that played any part into it? >> well, i'm not sure about the appropriateness of it. certainly other first la aspirants or first ladies have spoken a little bit more in informal settings. and i just feel that it was an opportunity missed. >> a recent "washington post"/abc poll shows that the first lady, michelle obama, and ann romney are more popular than their husbands. the first lady is at 67% compared to 55% for the president. and mrs. romney is at 56% versus 47% for her husband. and as we all know, it's a very tight race. this could influence voters, and i would imagine that's the reason they're out there.

>> well, frequently the first lady o the first lady aspirant are more popular than their husbands, and it's easy to understand because they're not dealing with the more substantive issues of the campgn or of governing. so really, those numbers are not particularly surprising. in terms of really tipping the election, i've always felt that the spouse provides us with a clue to character, and they certainly are not the tipping point as far as a decision for who you're going to vote for, but they do contribute to it. >> yeah. and it's interesting that both these ladies are very well accomplished, very highly educated, but we don't hear that much about it except they do cooking segments. thank you, myra gooden, we really appreciate it. justices take another look at affirmative action on america's campuses. we're live from the supreme court for what could be this term's biggest case. now, that's what i call a test drive.

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i"i'm not in favor of a a$5 trillion tax cut. that's not my plan." mitchell: "the nonpartisan tax policy center concluded that mitt romney's tax plan would cost $4.8 trillion over 10 years." vo: why won't romney level with us about his tax plan, which gives the wealthy huge new tax breaks? because according to experts, he'd have to raise taxes on the middle class - or increase the deficit to pay for it. if we can't trust him here... how could we ever trust him here?

ah, the bay area teams stay alive in baseball's playoff. we're going to start with oakland against detroit. ace center fielder coco crisp -- i like saying that name -- made the defensive play of the night when he jumped at the wall and caught prince fielder's blast. take another look at it. there it is. the a's used great fielding and pitching to shut out the tigers, 2-0. the team will play game four of their series tonight. detroit leads 2-1. the giants and the reds went to extra innings in cincinnati. reds' third baseman scott rolen bobbled a grounder. there it is, allowing buster posey to score. the giants took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the tenth and then held on to win the game. the reds host the giants this

afternoon, leading the series 2-1. ben balt competes like any other boy, even competes in triathlon. nothing seems to stop him even though he lost part of his right leg to cancer. but something did stop ben in his last race in florida. his prosthetic leg broke in half. a group of marines was watching the triathlon. the marines lifted ben up and carried him across the finish line. ben's mom said everybody was crying and cheering on ben and the marines. very nice. very nice. the next hour of the "cnn newsroom" begins right now. stories we're watching right now in the newsroom, congress gets ready to grill state department officials and others about the deadly terrorist attack in libya. and we're learning more about the security situation in benghazi. one of the world's largeest carmakers issuing a huge recall. there's a problem with nearly 7.5 million cars, trucks and suvs.

is yours one of them? and the running mates get their turn in the spotlight. joe biden, paul ryan preparing for tomorrow night's vice presidential debate. it is a must-win. is it for biden? and a north carolina man is incredibly lucky. he's nailed by a hit-and-run driver, and he walks away. "the newsroom" starts right now. hello again, everyone, i'm don lemon. carol it off today. after last week's face-off between president obama and mitt romney, the effect of debates on the campaign can no longer be denied. just take a look at these poll numbers. in a new cnn poll of polls, mitt romney edges out the president by one point, 48%-47%. and in key battleground state ohio, a new cnn/orc poll shows the race tightening with president obama at 51% and mitt romney at 47%. that is a significant post-debate bump for mitt

romney. take a look now, live pictures inside that debate hall where the debate -- we will soon. will take place between vice president and his challenger, paul ryan. it happens tomorrow. until we get those pictures, why don't we go to our national correspondent. we had them and then we didn't. he is in the critical swing state of ohio. john, good morning to you. vice presidential debate tomorrow night. how critical will this be in this election? >> reporter: i think it's very important, don. look, americans pick presidents. they don't pick vice presidents. if you go back in time and look at these in past years, there's great theater. it's hard the day after the election and say aha, that moment in that vice presidential debate changed the election. but this one is important for a number of reasons. number one, mitt romney has a breeze at his back right now. can paul ryan keep that momentum going? that is the number one concern of the romney campaign. they have momentum now.

they want to keep it. if you're the democrats, you're probably mad at the president, probably disappointed he didn't bring more energy and passion to the debate the other night. and you're hoping -- you're hoping that the president comes in -- the vice president comes in with an emphatic performance. that's what they want. will it matter in the end? don't know. but at this moment it's very key for the republicans to keep their momentum and for the democrats to try to stop it. >> mitt romney's already started to downplay, you know, what to make of this whole game, downplaying his game. what do you make of that? >> reporter: well, look. expectations. you want the viewers at home to think if paul ryan turns in a strong performance, wow, he wasn't ready for that. joe biden is the sitting vice president, he's run for president twice. he has more experience. he was 36 years in the senate. he has more experience. but paul ryan is no newby here. he's the chrman of the house

budget committee. he stood up directly to the president of the united states in meetings before between the president and house republicans. but every campaign tries to get any advantage they can heading into the debate. the expectations game is kind of silly. it's a subplot. both the candidates and we in the media play. from an issues perspective, this is important. they're going to fight over who best would help the middle class. expect joe biden to be very aggressive about criticizing the ryan budget and how it would change medicare and entitleme entitlements. expect joe biden to have the passion that the president lacked the other day about how all this would affect the social safety net if you're going to cut government spending. look, you have a conservative that many say is the heir to ronald reagan and jack kemp. you have a progressive vice president who the democrats and liberals are looking for passion. let's be honest, you also have two people who could factor into 2016 presidential calculations. if mitt romney loses, paul ryan is an early front-runner for republicans. if barack obama wins, joe biden is telling people yes, i might

be getting up there in age, but i feel great. i might run. >> let's talk about joe biden for a minute. remember last time they said you don't want to come off as condescending to sarah palin or even sexist. does the same thing aplay here? obviously not the sexist part, but condescending to someone younger than him for a paul ryan who seems to be new? does that challenge exist in this particular debate? >> reporter: well, i think that challenge exists in every debate. certainly it was different to have, you know, you're having a man debating a woman. that's a different calculation. but you don't want to be smug in any debate. it was interesting, you know, a lot of people after the first presidential debate thought the president was disinterested. the president was detached. i was interviewing suburban women yesterday. one of them said, you know, mitt romney won on points, but i thought he was smug. i thought he was disrespectful to the president. so viewers pick up on these things. it's different, you know, paul ryan is a house chairman. joe biden was a senate committee chairman. now he's the vice president of the united states. so there's a generational -- there's an age difference, these

a generational difference, philosophical difference. both sides, you want to make your case passionately and effectively. you don't want to seem mean or smug or certainly not condescending. >> absolutely. john king, thank you very much. to capitol hill now and a high-stakes high-noon showdown a potentially heated hearing on the deadly attack on the consulate in libya. a hearing is demanding to know how security failures led to the deaths of a u.s. ambassador there and three other americans. and were warnings ignored for political reasons, and did the white house have any motive in first denying it was terrorism? depending on which party you ask, today's hearing is either election-year grandstanding or an effort to better protect american lives in the future. >> what clearly didn't happen is, libya was not a priority. i believe what i've heard is that it's because they wanted the appearance of normalization. that's what they wanted. that fit the obama narrative moving forward. >> you know, it's one thing to make allegations that are backed by facts.

it's another thing to make allegations and then search for the facts. and we've heard a lot of allegations flying around. and ajust today in depositions, we've heard things that are contradictory to some of the allegations that have been made by chairman issa. >> our foreign affairs reporter joins us from washington. okay, many have said that this is a partisan investigation. others are saying they just want to find out exactly what's going on here. so, then, elise, what is it? do you get a sense that heads will roll once answers start to come out from what happens at these hearings? >> well, don, i think you need to separate the political from the serious investigative as to what went wrong. i mean, the democrats, representative cummings we just heard from are charging that the way that this hearing is being investigated is in a political way, that the democrats on the committee are not being given

witnesses, not being given testimony or documents and basically are excluding the democrats because they want to run this through right before the elections. what the republicans are saying is listen, something went very wrong here. there were warnings that were missed. some documents have been leaking out, some of them obtained by cnn, that show that senior security officers did send warnings and messages to the state department asking for additional security for benghazi, for libya, in general, and those requests were ignored. we're going to hear today from a few key people. we're going to hear from lieutenant colonel andy wood who was head of a security support team in libya. he was trying to get that team to stay beyond its mandate in august. it was pulled out. eric norstrom, the senior security officer in libya, also says he asked for requests additional security in benghazi. he was not answered. and we'll also hear from some people at the state department.

key among them is deputy assistant secretary charlene lamb. it seems as if the buck stopped here. these requests went to h, and my understanding is they never went up the chain of command. so lots of questions. it is very politicized. it is a political campaign season. election just weeks away. but i think that there are some serious questions as to whether the embassy -- the consulate was fully protected, whether warnings were missed and whether -- whether this is a political reason for hiding what really happened, don. >> and it is washington. what in washington is not politicized? thank you very much. we appreciate it, elise. the man accused of making the anti-islam film that incited so much violence in the middle east is due in court today. mark youssef was ruled a flight risk. egyptian-born u.s. citizen does not face charges related to the film or the protests that swept

through more than a dozen countries in the middle east and africa. next hour, the supreme court begins hearing arguments on what could be the biggest case of this term, dealing with diversity on college campuses. joe johns gives us the details of this case. >> reporter: abigail fisher dreamed of going to the university of texas at austin for most of her life. after applying, she didn't get in. attending louisiana state university instead. but the rejection from ut led fisher to file a lawsuit against the school claiming she was squeezed out, unfairly denied admission because of her race. she's white. she said in a statement, "there were people in my class with lower grades who weren't in all the activities i was in who were being accepted into ut, and the only other difference between us was the color of our skin." she declined an interview with c of of cnn. it's the issue that will come before the supreme court on wednesday. edward bloom recruited fisher to

file the lawsuit. >> the most important question is should a university judge a student by his or her skin color when it comes time for admission? and the answer is no. >> reporter: here's how the admissions process at ut works. the top 10% of each high school class statewide gets in automatically. for those below the top 10% like abigail fisher who was in the 11th percent, the university uses what it calls a holistic review where race is one of many factors considered. one that university president bill powers says doesn't get much weight and didn't play a role in fisher's rejection. >> we taketh ni ethnicity as on many factors to make sure that the three quarters coming in under automatic admission, that we add to that with a quarter coming in where we can look for these other characteristics including diversity. >> i think she's fighting the wrong fight. >> reporter: minority student leaders on campus like bradley poole agree with powers that the process is fair despite fisher's

claims. >> seeing as race is probably one of the least parts of the holistic review process, i feel like it's harping on one of the things -- on the easiest thing that she could have win against. >> reporter: others take offense that the lawsuit implies some minority students are less deserving of admission than their white counterparts. >> to hear people saying that some of us latinos got in here easily and the only reason we got in here is because of our race, that's really disappointing. we work just as hard as anyone else did to work to get here to ut. >> reporter: conservative groups say it's not just about getting in. the u.s. civil rights commission says studies show that using racial preferences can hurt minorities by starting them out near the bottom of their classes. >> if they're towards the bottom of whatever class they go to, they are much more likely to give up on an ambition to major in science and engineering. >> joe johns is live outside of the supreme court for us.

so joe, will this decision -- it probably will -- have implications on all college campuses? >> reporter: well, it certainly could. and you know, i have to say, this is such a hotly contested issue even now, and it has been over the years. just that last statement from the commissioner is disputed, you know. the academic mismatch, as it's called, is disputed among people on the other side who say it's unsound science. so just about every single point you look at across the board on the issue of affirmative action and preferences is disputed here in this courtroom right now. what does it come down to? perhaps a very even split. and we do know that justice elena kagan has recused herself. so there's potential for a 4-4 tie on the court when they get around to making a decision on that. in that case, by the way -- and i don't think we can say this enough -- in the case of a tie, don, the previous precedent would stand. so there wouldn't be any change in the law in the united states.

>> joe johns, thank you. lucky to be alive. that's the best way to describe a north carolina man hit by a car that keeps on going. ally bank. why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

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this just into cnn. pro football legend alex karras is dead. he had suffered recently from kidney failure. he also had dementia and was one of a group of ex-players suing the nfl over treatment of head injuries. after his playing career ended, karras acted in movies and in television. again, alex karras dead at 77. we'll follow that for you. nearly one month ago, an attack on the consulate in libya took the lives of four americans including ambassador chris stevens. and now congress wants some answers, not just on how the attack happened, but also any security lapses that could have played a role in the attack. tim jeffrey is former u.s. ambassador to iraq and turkey, he joins me now from washington. good morning, sir. thank you so much for joining us. >> good morning. thank you for having me on board. >> listen, the hearing starts in

just a few hours, and already there are concerns about partisanship taking center stage here. it would be great if this wasn't about political posturing and just getting answers on this attack and the solutions. can we expect that? >> we can expect that through the entire process. first of all, this was a tragedy for those involved for our policies in the region, and we need to get to the bottom of it. there are two ways to do that. first of all, the state department has appointed an accountability review board. they do that mandated by law in all such cases. i've had two on me from people who died under my supervision in iraq. and that's the first, and that will take some time. secondly, congress does have a responsibility to look into these things. that's what's going on now. partisanship is built into our political system, and there will be some of that, of course, and this isn't anything else. but we need to see all of the evidence. we need to see all of the information. and we need to work our way through this because we need to ensure it does not happen again.

>> well said. in a major foreign policy speech, republican presidential candidate mitt romney had this to say about the obama administrati administration's work in the middle east. take a listen. >> but it is our responsibility and the responsibility of the president to use america's greatest power to shape history, not to lead from behind, leaving our destiny at the mercy of events. unfortunately, that's exactly where we find ourselves in the middle east under president obama. >> but a fellow republican, senator rand paul, tells cnn that romney's approach is wrong, that more u.s. intervention in the mideast would not be effective, that our wars have fared poorly. in your opinion, what is the role of the u.s. in this region? >> first of all, we have to determine, is this region important to us? and the answer definitely is yes. because of our allies in the region from nato ally turkey which is under fire right now from syria to israel that's constantly being threatened to

our gulf allies. secondly, energy. thirdly, this is the transportation and geographic hub of eurasia. fourthly, it's the cradle of civilizations in religions, it's part of our heritage. we can't walk away from the middle east, but it's a very tough, it's a very dangerous and it's a very turbulent region. and we take risks in being out there. >> former u.s. ambassador to iraq and turkey, jim jeffrey, thank you. >> thank you. tens of thousands may have been given the contaminated steroid injections that are blamed for a deadly meningitis outbreak, but some say they saw it coming and even tried to sound the alarm long before it happened. oh no, not a migraine now. try this... bayer? this isn't just a headache. trust me, this is new bayer migraine. [ male announcer ] it's the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. new bayer migraine formula. in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. customer erin swenson bought so, i'm happy. today.

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is elizabeth cohen, and she spoke to a former fda employee who sounded the alarm years ago. okay, before we talk about that, how worried should we be when you hear it's 12 people, some people may go, well, it's not going to affect me. this is beyond that. >> i think this is worrisome because this isn't the only one. nine people died in alabama because of medicines made at compounding pharmacies. these medicines at compounding pharmacies are not regulated the way they are at a big pharmaceutical company. it's worrisome that we've seen these infections over the years. >> this is a big issue, then. with that said, we've prefaced it, you spoke to a former fda employee who sounded the alarm. >> a woman named sara sellers testified to the u.s. congress almost ten years ago about sterility problems. she said i have concerns and she urged for more federal oversight of these pharmacies. she then went on to work for the

fda. she was hired, she says, to work on sterility guidelines, but it never happened. she never got to work on the project. she left in frustration. and still, there are no guidelines. >> never released. >> never happened. we talked to the fda, and they said that they are still in progress. >> what's taking so long? >> well, according to sarah sellers, she thinks that money from the compounding pharmacy industry has slowed things down. according to the center for responsive politics, this industry, one group in particular, has spent more than $1 million on lobbying in the past ten years. and she thinks that that has made the feds kind of hold back. now, to give them sort of their response, the federal government says the fda has told cnn, hey, we want to do more, too, but the industry challenges us at every step. i asked the industry about this, and they said no, we want these sterility guidelines to come out. we've been waiting for them for years. >> do you think it will make a difference? you know, it's a cliche, is this

going to be the wake-up call? >> the wake-up call really probably should have been years ago. i mean, nine people died in alabama in a similar situation last year. those were nine lives. i think this is definitely bigger. there's more people. it's all over the country. and these are people who were otherwise presumably healthy. and they were just coming in because of back pain, and they end up dead. so this may be the time that everybody sort of says, all right, no matter what, we've got to do the right thing. >> give me some good perspective on this because there's always issues when it comes to medication, they correct it. it will be over in a little bit, but no, that's not what's happening here. this could get worse unless something is done. >> unless somebody steps in. and this is such a basic thing. this is sterility in a processing center. i mean, sterility like you shouldn't have fungus in your medicine. there's nothing complicated about this. they just need to follow the rules. >> thank you, elizabeth. >> thanks. >> appreciate it. mitt romney's debate performance got him a bump in the polls. can his running mate keep their momentum going as he prepares to

go head to head with a seasoned debater? we'll go to kentucky for a preview.

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that's right for you. time now, everyone, for a check on your top stories. about a half hour from now, oral arguments will begin at the u.s. supreme court. at issue, whether a race-conscious admission policy at the university of texas violates a civil rights of some white applicants. the court will decide if and when ethnicity and skin color can be used to create a diverse campus. also in washington, beginning at noon, a house panel holds a hearing to try to find out what went wrong in the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. the house oversight and government reform committee will ask witnesses what the white house knew and when they knew it. two american scientists have a lot to celebrate today.

they won the nobel prize in chemistry. their prize-winning work on protein receptors in the human body set the stage for drug companies to make medications with fewer side effects. they started their research back in 1968. and something you really have to see to believe. and you're going to see it right there. saturday morning shawn lewis heading to work in charlotte, north carolina, when a driver -- b boom, there it is -- mowed him down. a camera captured it all. the driver stopped and then took off. mir miraculously, he was able to walk away. police are still looking for that driver. as promised, i told you earlier, live pictures inside the debate hall. there it is. you're looking at live pictures from the hall where the vice presidential debate will take place tomorrow night. check it out. it's red, white and blue. imagine that. joe biden will face off with paul ryan. cnn's political editor, paul

steinhauser, joins me now from danville, kentucky. paul, set the stage for us. it's red, white and blue. i have to say, though, i'm looking forward to this one more than the other one because you never know what joe biden is going to say, and that makes for some great television. >> reporter: joe biden often speaks from his heart, no doubt about that. i think this could be maybe a more entertaining debate than last week in denver. those live pictures -- i saw you try to do them at the top of the hour, but you have them now. that building right there, that's what you were looking at inside. here's how it's going to work. first of all, the congressman from wisconsin, paul ryan, in one corner. he will be here later today, don. he arrives later today here in danville. vice president biden coming in tomorrow. both men, as you know, you haven't seen them on the campaign trail much. why? they've been locked down on debate prep. it's a 90-minute debate. martha raddatz is the moderator. 90 minutes.

it's going to be both foreign policy and, of course, a lot of domestic issues as well. and as you were talking about with john king earlier, expect to see maybe vice president biden go onni inthe attack agai ryan especially on medicare and social security. let me show you this. they're calling it "the thrill in the ville ii" because they did a debate here 12 years ago that was dick cheney versus joe lieberman. don? >> that's pretty cool. where are the boxing gloves in that ad? where are the boxing gloves? let's see that ad again. hold it up real quickly. do you have it? >> reporter: you want it again? here we go, yeah. no gloves. no gloves. >> thank you. we will be watching. it's going to be interesting. paul steinhauser. vice president joe biden/congressman paul ryan will debate each other thursday night. cnn live coverage will begin at 7:00 eastern. stay tuned. toyota recalling almost 7.

million cars. models ranging from the camry to the yaris. alison kosik from the new york stock exchange. that is a lot of cars. why are so many cars being recalled? >> it is a lot of cars. the problem is with the power window on the driver's side. it appears that the grease wasn't applied properly meaning the window switch can stick. if you went ahead and bought the grease and applied it, it could melt the switch and lead to a fire. now, this includes several models between the years of 2007 and 2009. it includes the most popular models, camera, corolla, yaris, rav4, tundra and others as well. if you've been affected, you'll know because you'll get a notification through the mail this month. your local toyota dealer will fix it for free. and this, by the way, it toyota's biggest recall since the 2009/2010 recall because of those sticky gas pedals. >> we remember that. >> yes, we do.

>> it's bad timing because they were just getting back on track. you mentioned the 2009 thing. but after last year's earthquake and tsunami, alison. >> oh, you said it. this is really not great timing because toyota was finally back on its feet after that 2010 recall, the earthquake which led to the parts shortage. you know, sales had actually recovered. well, now we've got this big recall going on today. toyota, in addition, is also dealing with plunging sales in china because of a big political dispute there. another concern, this recall is hitting the world's biggest car markets, not just here in the u.s., in china, in europe, and investors, don, are showing how they feel. toyota shares fell 2% in japan. they're falling 1 1/3% right now in the u.s. >> yikes! thank you so much. a very different side of ann romney taking a break from the campaign trail and taking over the host chair on "good morning america." how did she do? how did she do? we'll find out. overmany discounts to thine customers!

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amendments 15 and 19 of the u.s. constitution give citizens the right to vote. you cannot be denied because of sex, race or color. but new laws want to stop those without an i.d. and as martin savidge found out, there are some working to make sure everyone can cast a ballot. >> hello? voter registration. >> reporter: when not seeing patients, dr. bren da williams s out registering voters in her small town of sumter, south carolina. >> i'll sign you up. >> reporter: two years ago she began seeing patients with the same problem. raymond rutherford was one. this all goes back to the day you were born. >> yes. >> reporter: now's when i should jump in and say the problem dr. williams saw wasn't medical but political. south carolina's recent law requiring voters to have photo identification, it's been blocked by the u.s. attorney

general, but opponents fear that may be only temporary. the law requires a government-issued picture i.d. in order to vote. d to get that, you need something. >> a certified birth certificate with a raised seal. >> reporter: for a number of african-americans born in the pre-civil rights rural south, that's a problem. since many were delivered at home by midwives and record did ke recordkeeping was weak. they got his last name completely wrong, but his voter registration card has his correct name. do you vote? >> yes, i do, ever since i was 18. >> reporter: has this ever been a problem? >> no. >> reporter: it could be now. he says it requires an attorney which he cannot afford. it is really difficult to get any kind of specific numbers as to how many voters could be impacted by the new south carolina law. according to the election commission, it could be anywhere from a high of 202,000 to a low

of 51,000. >> i started looking at the numbers and said dang, he's black, she's black, oh, god, this is racial. >> reporter: supporters of the new law say race has nothing to do with it. it's simply meant to protect against voter fraud, and there is a provision to allow voters like rutherford to cast a provisional ballot simply by signing an affidavit. but rutherford and others are skeptical of the state which at one time had a history of discriminating against voters and must get laws affecting voting approved by the federal government. do you see this as an effort to prevent you from voting? >> not only me but a lot of people, yes. >> i got my cards in the mail today. both of my daughters. >> reporter: so dr. williams pushes on. and it was when i asked her why that got her singing the hymn she learned so long ago. ♪ each man is my brother

♪ each man is my friend i'm sorry. >> reporter: martin savidge, cnn, sumter, south carolina. well, with just weeks until the election, your right to vote may be at stake. does everyone really have a voice? watch cnn's documentary special "voters in america: who counts." sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. ann romney taking a break from the campaign trail and taking over "good morning america." there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward.

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checking top stories right now. the supreme court will hear arguments on an affirmative action case that could decide whether race will play a role in college admissions. a white college student suing the university of texas saying it denied her admission because of her race. the hearing is expected to begin in 15 minutes. the u.s. government suing

wells fargo over claims the bank made reckless home mortgage loans for a decade. the government is accused the bank of fraudulently approving thousands of home loans that caused large-scale losses for the government. wells fargo denying the allegations. the first commercial cargo mission to the international space station is now a success. space x's dragon capsule docked with the orbiting laboratory just a few hours ago. the capsule is delivering food and supplies to the astronauts on board. in about 2 1/2 weeks, it will be sent back to earth with scientific experiments and failed equipment. all right. now to the politics of twitter. what happens when a prominent black actress says she is supporting mitt romney instead of barack obama? well, stacy dash found out after posting a tweet that set off an internet firestorm. a.j. hammer joins me now. he is following that story. as far as the controversial tweets go, this one was pretty

tame, but listen. she's also, a.j., i don't know if you've heard about this, she's identifying herself as mexican-american and not african-american. have you heard that? >> i had not heard that, but you would think, you know, just the tweet that she sent out is pretty tame, as you mentioned, don. look, even if you disagree with someone's choice for president, obviously, you would hope that person could still voice it without being viciously attacked as stacy dash was. the tweet simply said, "vote for romney, the only choice for your future." and that's what led to this massive twitter backlash against dash. some of it has been relatively tame. people referring to the movie that she's best known for by calling her "clueless." others have really laid into her saying she's sold out her race and gender and some other nasty comments which quite frankly i don't want to repeat here. the detractors seem to be louder, but she has gotten some support from people saying yes, every american is allowed to speak their mind. and don, paul ryan personally called her to offer his support.

but i hate it when it gets this ugly. i think any good american wants you to be able to speak your mind. it's one thing for people to voice their opposition to what you've said. it's another thing for them to be as vicious as some of them have been in this case. >> absolutely. very, very well put. and regardless of what her ethnicity is, it's her right. it's her right to do that. okay. let's move on now and talk about more politics. ann romney wrapping up her cohosting gig on "good morning america," a.j. let's listen. >> what is it about horse therapy or equine therapy? >> there's different things. they get on the back of a horse and all of a sudden their life changes. they become strong. they become confident. but horses are -- they're a gift from god is the way i look at it, and they're a partner in our life's journey. and they can bring such joy. >> phenomenal. and you've been very vocal about your diagnosis with multiple sclerosis. have you used equine therapy for yourself? >> i certainly have. you know, like beck, i'm not as

disabled as becca, but i was very weak and very much worried about my life, thinking i was going to be in a wheelchair as well. i turned to horses. my leif has been dramatically different. they gave me the energy, the passion to get out of bed when i was so sick that i didn't think i'd ever want to get out of bed. >> so, you know, everyone says she's cohosting, it was more like an extended interview than an actual cohost gig, right? >> it was in that case when they were outside in times square with the horse. and quite frankly, that's where she was the most comfortable during the entire time that she was on because that was something that was near and dear to her heart. in fact, she didn't get a ton of screen time in her hour on the show, but the early reviews have been very positive, don. and i have to point out she had a little trouble on the cooking segments, the stove apparently was too hot, and she burned the welsh cakes. but i should also -- and she kidded, by the way, that she was in danger of catching fire. but i should point out to hopefully achieve some semblance of balance. "gma" is reportedly in talks to

have michelle obama cohost as well. as of the last time i checked, they reportedly did not have that agreement in place. i'm guessing we'll see michelle doing that show. >> this segment got you all choked up, huh, a.j.? >> yes, it did. that was it. >> thank you, a.j. make sure you join him, "showbiz tonight" 11:00 eastern on "hln." we'll be right back. so... [ gasps ]

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the bay area teams stay alive in baseball's playoffs. we're going to start with oakland against detroit. ace center fielder coco crisp made the defensive play of the night when he jumped at the wall and caught prince fielder's blast. look at that. the a's used great fielding and pitching to shut out the tigers, 2-0. the team will play game four of their series tonight. detroit leads 2-1. the giants and the reds went to extra innings in cincinnati. reds' third baseman scott rolen bobbled a grounder, allowing buster posey to score. the giants took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the tenth and held on to win. the reds host the giants this afternoon, leading the series 2-1. and negotiations in the

national hockey league strike have started up again. players and owners are scheduled to meet today and tomorrow in new york city, but there are no plans to discuss dividing revenu, which is a primary issue of the dispute. the lockout beginning its fourth week now. four years ago he made his case for being the next vice president. and after a showdown with sarah palin back then, joe biden is now preparing to return to the debate stage. oh no, not a migraine now. try this... bayer? this isn't just a headache. trust me, this is new bayer migraine. [ male announcer ] it's the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. new bayer migraine formula. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card

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around. a friendly start to the vice presidential debate in 2008 hitting joe biden against then relative newcomer to the national stage, alaska governor sarah palin. >> john mccain said at 9:00 in the morning that the fundamentals of the economy were strong. 11:00 that same day, two mondays ago, john mccain said that we have an economic crisis. >> we're tired of the old politics as usual. and that's why, with all due respect, i do respect your years in the u.s. senate, but i think americans are craving something new and different. >> reporter: biden was on his best behavior, carefully aiming his attacks at her running mate, john mccain, not at palin herself. and that was by design. >> he had to be careful not to be talking down to her in any way, not only because she didn't have any national experience but also because she was a woman. and both of those things are a little tricky to deal with. >> reporter: despite a lack of substance in many of her answers, analysts say palin did just fine in that debate. >> say it ain't so, joe, there you go again.

>> reporter: partly because biden didn't challenge her directly much. >> it's good to see you all. >> reporter: later this week biden will be on the debate stage once again against a much more seasoned politician this time, and he's expected to come out swinging. >> he's fast on the cuff. he's a witty guy. he knows who he is. and he's been doing this for 40 years. so you're not going to rattle joe biden. joe is very good on the attack. >> don't forget, the traditional role of a vice presidential candidate is to go on the attack. that's their job. so i think we'll see a lot more of that in the vice presidential debate than we did in the first presidential debate. >> reporter: vice presidential debates have been contentious in the past. in 1984 then vice president george h.w. bush seemed condescending towards his opponent, congresswoman geraldine ferrara. >> let me help you with the difference, ms. ferraro, between iran and the mbembassy in leban. >> congresswoman ferraro? >> let me say first of all that i almost resent, mr. bush, your

patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy. >> reporter: in '88, dan quayle's self-comparisons to jfk drew this blistering response from his opponent, lloyd bentsen. >> senator, you're no jack kennedy. >> reporter: in 1992, it was described as a free-for-all with dan quayle and al gore continually interrupting each other. >> in foreign countries -- foreign aid. senator, it's in your book. >> reporter: vice president cheney and senator john edwards barely kept their debate civil with cheney blasting edwards for his attendance recordn congress. >> the first time i ever met you was when you walked on the stag tonight. >> reporter: thursday biden is expected to go after ryan on issues like medicaid, social security and foreign policy. >> i wouldn't be surprised if you got a zinger or two from joe biden. i don't think he's worried about being perceived as talking down to paul ryan. >> reporter: and the personal momes